Traditional aircraft wings have a wing box formed by upper and lower aerodynamic covers, front and rear spars, and a series of transverse ribs spaced apart along the span-wise length of the wing box. Each rib is bolted to the upper and lower covers and reacts fuel pressure loads between them.
Assembly of such a wing box can be very time consuming and complicated due to the need to manufacture, drill, shim, and then bolt many components together. A traditional wing box is also very heavy and does not always make the most efficient use of modern aerospace materials such as composites.
It is desirable to design an aircraft wing box or similar structure which has a reduced part count, simplified manufacturing process and improved mechanical performance.